Suddenly Strangers [Paperback]

Brad L. Morin (Author), Chris L. Morin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 2004

The ideal of being a rational person is to, at some point, critically examine one's own inherited beliefs. Yet, few who do take up this challenge are equipped to withstand the self-doubt and unsettling disorientation which may follow. The narrative of this book is that rare instance where two brothers of deep moral conviction and intelligence summon the energy and conviction to see this ordeal through to its conclusion. The end result unmasks insights of enduring power. This book has the appeal of a good mystery, and I had the same sense of satisfaction of a mystery being solved. -Heather Ashton-Summers Portland, Oregon

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Aventine Press (February 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593301111
• ISBN-13: 978-1593301118
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,176,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 117 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Apostates?, March 12, 2004

By 

Brent W. Hughes (Orem, UT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Suddenly Strangers (Paperback)

Disclaimer: I am a friend of Brad and Chris.

We Mormons have an image of apostates. It is not very flattering. One of the main ingredients in being an apostate must certainly be sin. Surely, anyone who leaves the Church must either be currently involved in serious sin or desire to be so. This will sufficiently darken his mind that he will either lose his testimony of the Church (if he ever had one), or he will become so depraved as to fight against the Church even while continuing to know that it is true, thus "denying the existence of the sun at noon day".

"Suddenly Strangers" challenges this notion. It gives us an example of two brothers growing up in a large Mormon family that is totally devoted to the Church. Through the influence of their parents, siblings, the Church, and their own innate characters, Brad and Chris learn to love that which is good and right and true. At the age of 19, they serve two-year missions for the Church teaching others about the Gospel. For years thereafter, they continue to serve the Church in various "callings". Sometimes questions about the Church emerge, but they are never thought to challenge the truthfulness of the Church. Perhaps there are things we just can't understand right now about the Gospel and the actions of our leaders. Eventually, however, the shelves and shelves of unanswered questions become too full and must be faced head on. This leads to an unexpected journey through confusion, doubt, and pain.

When Brad and Chris eventually tell their families and friends of their decision to leave the Church, they find themselves "suddenly strangers". Some who have known them all their lives and respected their goodness suddenly see them as evil; hide your women and children, here come Brad and Chris. It is decided that they must be evil, wicked men based not on any evidence whatsoever to that effect, but merely because they have chosen to leave the Church. And surely that is proof enough that there must be something terribly wrong with them.

Over time, some of these initial reactions have begun to soften. If there was a sudden darkening of minds, perhaps it was not those of Brad and Chris, and perhaps, now, light is beginning to return.

In my opinion, Brad and Chris Morin, by providing a glimpse into their own lives, have given us important insight into the lives of many others who have left or will leave the Church.

81 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, competent, articulate -- a masterpiece., April 7, 2004

By 

Kent Ponder (Albuquerque., NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Suddenly Strangers (Paperback)

Among books on Mormonism, this would rate six stars if that many were available. The two brother-authors take you inside Mormonism, present and past, from two honest and intelligent viewpoints. You'll live with them through their upbringing, family life, missionary years, rearing of children. They'll walk you through an unusually masterful presentation of inconsistencies, contradictions and conundrums within the Mormon world (which I know well, having been in it from birth, still a member of record active on an infrequent basis).

Though the church's astonishingly massive lying is clearly and accurately exposed, it is done with understanding, not rancor or bitterness. Sordid reality is documented alongside of the wonderfully enchanting positive side that so many Mormons experience and that most public-relations descriptions feature.

This is poignant, powerful, lyrical writing, not ordinarily to be expected from a couple of "numbers-people," not "word-people." That is, an experienced reader would guess something other than math & science as the academic training of these surprisingly gifted writers.

For those who want a candid and clear view of the best and worst of Mormonism, there is no better book. This spectacular presentation is, without exaggeration, simply in a class by itself. (And, no, I've never met them and have no connection with them.)

65 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A common story that many faithful will nevertheless deny, October 6, 2004

By 

Duwayne Anderson (Saint Helens, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Suddenly Strangers (Paperback)

Think, for a moment, of your closest confidant, kindred spirit, and soul mate. Now imagine waking to find they no longer know you. They hardly recognize your face, no longer understand what you are thinking, or share your deepest feelings and greatest fears. They look at you - no, they look through you - as if you are a stranger.
Though you might never guess it from the slick, family-centered commercials they air, this is the all-to-common heritage for thinking members of the Mormon Church, who take the difficult road to intellectual apostasy.
"Suddenly Strangers" is the story of two brothers who were raised in Utah, in an "all-American family" complete with doting mother, devoted father, loyal siblings, and a deep attentiveness to their religious faith. It's hard to think of a more fitting picture than sun-speckled boys and girls working the family farm during the week while attending their deep religious Mormon faith, members of arguably the most successful and fastest-growing American-born religion.
Theirs is the story of courageous intellectual strength resulting in their eventual departure from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and subsequent journey into that realm where family and friends became, suddenly, strangers.
Few religions castigate their apostates as viciously as does the Mormon Church. Those who dare leave discover siblings and once-close friends who now view them contemptuously as misguided at best, and lost souls, or Sons of Perdition, at worst. It is a legacy of shattered familial relationships and lost friends. Parents grieve with despair at the thought of spiritual consequences darker than death. Local congregations whisper quietly while busybodies speculate about the cause of such wickedness in their mists, and wonder in awe at what great sin (was it adultery or fornication?) lead the apostate to lose his way and succumb to the temptations of the devil.
It's a tale as old as the church itself, but this story loses its effectiveness in the abstract, antiseptic environment of statistics and detached descriptive verse. This is a story that truly can only be lived. For everyone else there are the heart-felt stories of people like Brad and Chris who, through their engaging accounts, have offered us a the opportunity to see life through the eyes of just two of many fine and honest intellectuals who finally found the courage to say "No." "No" to the lies, and "no" to the deception.
In reading this book, you will experience the early exuberance of being a member of the "only true church," content to accept without question whatever your leaders tell you. You'll follow the metamorphosis from unquestioning sheep to thoughtful and critical explorer. Through these pages you will experience the simultaneous despair of learning a lifetime of indoctrination was based on lies, while at the same time learning the un-paralleled exuberance of finally being free to let your intellect soar. And through it all you will see the sudden transformation of family and friends from dearest companions to strangers.
Each person who makes this choice arrives at the conclusion in his or her own personal way. For some it is the many conflicts between Mormonism and science. For others, Brad and Chris included, it is the way the Mormon Church denies some of its most embarrassing and controversial doctrines in public, and misleads its members regarding the role the Church played in Utah's past. Two issues are particularly worth noting. One is the ethical problem of misrepresenting doctrine, and the other is the intellectual problem of holding on to "the only true and living church," given the violent, sexist, and racist doctrines of some LDS prophets such as Brigham Young.
Although the real power of this book is on the emotional level in describing the reaction that Mormons often (typically?) have when someone leaves the fold, Brad and Chris have included some helpful and interesting historical and factual information as well (found in the appendixes). The information relates primarily to two areas: the church's past denial of, and involvement in, polygamy, and especially the unholy tendency of some early leaders to acquire the wives of other men. It most definitely was not (as I was taught) a case of "old women" being given in plural marriage as an act of charity. Rather, it has all the characteristics of good old carnal lust.
The other area relates to violent doctrines taught by early prophets of the church relating to what's called "blood atonement," where the offending Latter-day Saint is expected to relinquish their life (slitting the throat is the prescribed method) in order to atone for sins (like apostasy from the church) that are not covered by Jesus' atonement. The appendix material describes these teachings in detail with excerpts from early church documents, and shows how the bloody sermons of Brigham Young and other Mormon General Authorities led to such horrific crimes as the murders at Mountain Meadows.
For those who have an interest in Mormonism, and want to get a clearer look at the human equation, this book is a must. It's well written, engaging, informative, and (gauging from my own experience) both accurate and relatively typical.